Pastor embroiled in cheating scandal, John Gray, says those who judge ‘ain’t saved’

Pastor John Gray of Relentless Church in Greenville, SC is embroiled in a cheating scandal after admitting he cheated on his wife, First Lady Aventer Gray (Credit: Getty)

Article By Paul Mason // EEW Magazine News

Pastor John Gray has been making headlines for committing adultery and battling suicidal thoughts. To all the judgmental folks, he has a message: you “ain’t saved.”

The Greenville, SC-based Relentless Church pastor said during a sermon Sunday, Jan. 13, “I’m tired of people that look saved, but ain’t saved. Let me help you understand what I mean. They say they’re saved, but they’re the first ones to judge you.”

Gray, 45, is likely basing his premise on Matthew 7:1: “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”

The embattled preacher told congregants, “They say they’re saved but they will cuss you out in one second flat and say God is still working on me. They’ve got a hell to put you in for your stuff, but they’ve got all the grace for their stuff.”

From the sound of things, the OWN reality TV star is feeling all the condemnation over his “stuff,” but not much grace. In an effort to elicit compassion and understanding, he proceeded to explain his unique plight.

“This is what God is doing in me. He’s reconciling the little boy that’s still inside of this man. See, because, I need to trade the pain of the little boy that wasn’t covered, for the man that’s called to cover. Because even while I’m waiting for my father, he won’t come, because he’s dead,” Gray said.

The megachurch pastor was four years old when his parents split and his father left. After that, the I Am Number 8 author only saw his dad a handful of times before he died.

In an interview with Click 2 Houston, Gray admitted his past demons still haunt him today.

“Growing up, I was bullied. I had buck teeth. I had alopecia, so I had bald spots. I wasn't the ladies' man. I was the one they made fun of at the back of the bus.”

He continued, “I was the one they made fun of at school, and so, some of those things still sting. I don't care that I'm in my mid-40s now. I can remember particular moments of how I felt."

While preaching about the healing power of Christ, the popular minister’s own brokenness is showing. “I’m actually fighting devils that weren’t scheduled for me. They were scheduled for my dad. But because my dad didn’t fight them, I’m fighting his and mine,” said Gray.

His wife Aventer Gray seems to be unified in the fight with him. In a recent video addressing the scandal at Relentless Church, First Lady Gray, who admits there was an unnamed “strange woman” that won her spouse’s affection, said, "So you want me to leave my husband because you spoke to the 16-year-old that couldn’t get a date—and he listened?” attributing Pastor Gray’s extramarital dalliances to unresolved issues from his youth.

She continued, “So I’m supposed to leave my husband because you spoke to a place of brokenness that had not yet been submitted back to the Father? But because I know the tricks of the enemy and I’m learning them every day, I can stand here in boldness for everybody that tried to sneak in, thank you, because I got closer to God because of it.”

But as she draws closer to God and her man, many in Gray’s once loyal audience are pulling away and turning their backs. That forgiving, non-judgmental reception the couple was hoping for has been largely nonexistent—especially since the widespread viewing of Pastor Gray’s much derided commentary on Sister Circle about his wife “raising” him, and his controversial purchase of a $200,000 Lamborghini Urus for his longsuffering bride.

With all the negative chatter around the Grays and alleged mistresses leaking details online, the Relentless pastor, who doubles as an associate pastor at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, is under intense scrutiny.

Despite rumors swirling that he fathered a child outside his marriage, Gray denied the rumors at Relentless Church Sunday by calling his son, John IV, “my only begotten son,” and his daughter, Theory Aspyn-Sky,“my only begotten daughter.” He then punctuated that denial, shouting “Period!” into the microphone.

Outside baby or not, “ain’t saved” people across the nation are still wagging their fingers, crying shame, shame, shame, with some calling for Gray to resign.

Though he clearly has made some missteps by disobeying the Bible, he is hoping those in the Body of Christ will adhere to Galatians 6:1 NKJV: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”